Guiding mechanism for agricultural implements.



C. ESPING.

GRINDING MECHANISM FOR AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-3.1917.

1 250, 1 5 6 Patented Dec. 18, 1917.

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GRINDING MECHANISM FOR AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED IAN- 3| [9|].

"Patented Dec. 18, 1917.. I

. l/VVE/VTOR I, Br Y 15y; K/WWC v UNITED sra'rns PATENT OFFICE.

CONRAD ESZPING, or MOLINE, ILLIivoIs, ASSIGNOR TO MOLINE PLOW COMPANY, A

CORPORATION or ILLINOIS.

GUIDING MECHANISM FOR AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS. I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CONRAD ESPING, a citizen of the United States,residing at Moline, in the county of Rock Island and State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Guiding Mechanismfor Agricultural Implements, of which the following is a specification,reference being hadtherein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to agricultural implements such as wheeled plows,wheeled Cultivators, wheeled harrows and the like, in which the frame ofthe machine is sustained by carrying wheels and is drawn through thefield by draft animals,

The aim of the invention is to provide for the effective and accurateguiding of the machine by the draft animals, more particularly inturning at corners and in turning at the ends of the furrows or rows.

With this aim in view, my invention consists in mounting the carryingwheels on the frame so that they may be turned or swiveled aboutvertical axes, and in combining with said wheels, controlling mechanismof improved form and construction adapted to be shifted by the draftanimals as the latter turn to the right or left, and to thuscorrespondingly shift or turn the carrying wheels in unison on theirvertical axes, and in this manner effect the guiding of the machine. I

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated my invention as applied,by way of example, to a two-way plow comprising a frame giving supportto moldboard plows .i pointing in thesame direction but faolng inopposite directions, and adapted to be-alternately raised and loweredfor alternate action to throw all the furrows in the same direction, asthe machine travels back and forth through the field, the said framebeing supported at its front by two swiveling carrying wheels arrangedat opposite sides thereof and movable up and down alternately to actrespectively as land and furrow wheels. It will be manifest, however,

thatthe invention is not limited in its application to machines of thistype, but is applicable as well to other types of plows, and to wheeledharrows, wheeled cultivators and like machines.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec, 18, 1917.

Original application filed August 15, 1916, Serial No. 114,954. Dividedand this application filed January 3,

v 1917. Serial No. 140,369. I

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a wheeledplow having my invention applied thereto. F g. 2 is a top plan view ofthe same. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of one of the carrying wheelsshowing how it is swiveled in the frame.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the front portion of the machine showing howthe plow is turned and guided by the draft team.

Fig. 5 is a perspective View of certain por tions of the machine frameseparated from each other.

vFig. 6 is a perspective the plow guiding means,

Referring to thedrawings: I The frame of the machine comprisesigenview.of details of erally a front transverse frame member l comprising twohorizontal spaced frame bars 1 and 1 connected together in the form of aunitary structure, and a central rearwardly extending frame member '2connected as its forward end with the transverse frame member so as toconstitute in effect a single, rigid unitary frame structure which givessupport to two plow beams as shown.

The transverse frame member 1 gives support at its opposite ends toblocks or castings'3 provided with vertical bearing openings in whichare mounted vertical journals 4 extending upwardly from inclined sleeves5 carrying at their outer ends upright segment frames 6, the arrangementbeing such that. these segment frames may swivel or turn in the bearingopenings in the blocks, about the vertical axes of the journals. Crankaxles 7 have their inner ends mounted to rock in horizontalbearing'openings in the sleeves and are formed on their outer ends withhorizontal wheel journals 8 on which the carrying wheels 9arerespectively mounted, the bearing openings in the sleeves 5 beinginclined downwardly in order to give the wheels a stagger or set to actas means of a fore and aft extending draft rod 10, having its rear endengaged with a draft strap 13 connected with the central frame membernear its forward end. At its front end the rod is adapted to haveconnected with it a double-tree 14, carrying the usual swingle-trees 15,to which the draft animals are hitched. The connection of the rear endof the draft rod with the strap is such that said rod will be swung tothe right and left about a vertical axis as the draft team turns in thecorresponding directions, and in order that the carrying wheels may belikewise turned by the team to guide the machine, I provide suitableconnecting means of novel form between tl e draft rod and carryingwheels, which'will operate to turn the carrying wheels automaticallyabout the vertical axes of the journals as the draft rod is shiftedhorizontally by the team. To effect this action of the parts ahorizontal frame 16 is fixed to and extends forwardly from thetransverse frame member 1. This frame 16 is formed by means of twoplates 16 extending in a fore and aft direction and firmly connected toeach other so as to form a rigid central supporting member 17. At theirrear ends these plates are extended outwardly in opposite directions andare firmly bolted or otherwise secured to the front frame member 1 Attheir forward ends the plates 16 are curved outwardly in oppositedirections so as to constitute a segmental or arcuate supporting member18 on the front of the frame 16, the outwardly extending front and rearends of the plate 16 being firmly connected together by means of foreand aft extending brace straps 19, all as shown more particularly inFigs. 2 and 5. Supported on the front curved member 18 of the frame 16is a swinging member 20, which consists of a U-shaped frame with upperand lower arms 20 and 20 The frame 16 is embraced between these arms,which latter are pivoted to the fixed central supporting member 17 bymeans of a vertical pivot bolt 21 extending through the rear ends of thearms and through said supporting member. As a result of thisconstruction, the U-shaped frame may be swung horizontally about theaxis of the pivot bolt and in such movements it will be supported by theforward curved guiding portions 18 of the frame 16. A bracket 22 isfixed to the upper arm 20 at its forward end, which bracket is providedwith oppositely extending arms 23. These arms have jointed to them theforward ends of links 2%, which extend rearwardly and outwardly and havetheir rear ends jointed to the outer ends of arms 25, which latter armsextend inwardly and are fixedly connected with the upper ends of therespective journals 4. As a result of this construction and arrangementof the parts, the lateral swinging movement of the U-shaped frame 20will turn the arms 25 in the same direction, which action will turn thejournals 4 in their bearings in the machine frame and willcorrespondingly swing the carrying wheels 9 on their vertical axes.

The draft rod 10 extends at its forward end through a horizontalaopening26 in a vertical plate 27 fixed to the forward end of the U-shaped frame20 so that the horizontal swinging movement of the draft red .as theteam turns in either direction, will be transmitted to the swingingU-shaped frame, and these movements will in turn be transmitted to thecarrying wheels, causing them to swivel and guide the machine.

This guiding action of the parts is shown more particularly in Fig. 1,where it will be seen that the draft team has turned to the left and hascorrespondingly swung the draft rod in a like direction, which actionhas in like manner, swung the lJ-shaped frame, and through the medium oflinks 24 and arms 25, the two carrying wheels have been turned in thesame direction relatively to the machine frame. Vhen the team turns inthe opzposite direction to guide the machine to the right, the fore oingactions are repeated but in reverse direction. It is se 1, therefore,that by the turning of the draft team to the right or left, bothcarrying wheels are simultaneously turned to guide the machine. incorresponding direction, thereby effecting the prompt and short turn ofthe machine.

1n the foregoing description and accompanying drawings 1 have set forthmy invention in the particular detailed form which I prefer to adopt andwhich in practice has been found to answer toa satisfactory degree theends to be attained. It will be manifest, however, that these detailsmay be variously changed and modified without departing from the limits.of my invention, and further it will be understood that the inventionis not limited to any particular form or construction of the partsexcept in so far as such limitations .are specified in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In an agricultural implement, the combination of a frame providedwith a forward'ly extending .portion, wheel supports mounted on theframe at opposite sides to turn about upright axes, carrying wheelsmounted on said supports, a member mounted on said frame to swinghorizontally at its front, said forwardly extending portion of the framecooperating with. the forward portion of the swinging member insustaining the same against sagging, operative connections between theswinging member and the wheel supports to turn the latter about theirupright axes, and a horizontally swinging draft device connected withthe frame and engaging said swinging member to swing the same.

2. In an agricultural implement, the combination of a frame providedwith a forwardly extending frame member having a front supportingportion, wheel supports mounted on the opposite sides of the frame toturn about upright axes, carrying wheels mounted on said supports, ahorizontally swinging member pivoted to the forwardly extending framemember on an upright axis and supported in its swinging movements by thesupporting portion of said frame member, operative connections betweensaid swinging member and the wheel supports to turn the latter on theiraxes, said swinging member being provided with a horizontal opening; anda horizontally swinging draft rod connected with the frame and extendingthrough said opening in the swinging member.

3. In an agricultural implement, the combination of a frame, wheelsupports mounted at opposite sides thereof to turn about upright axes,carrying wheels mounted on said supports, a horizontally movable memberpivoted to the frame to swing about a vertical axis, operativeconnections between the wheel supports and said member to turn thesupports on their axes, a fixed supporting member sustained by the framein the advance of the axis of the swinging member and curved in an arcwhoseaxis is coincident with the axis of the swinging memher, saidsupporting member supporting the swinging member against sagging, and ahorizontally swinging draft rod connected with the machine frame andengaging the swinging member to swing the same.

4. In an agricultural implement, the combination of a frame providedwith a transverse portion and with a rigid frame mem ber extendingforwardly from said transverse portion, wheel supports mounted at theopposite ends of the transverse portion of the frame to turn aboutupright axes, carrying wheels mounted on said supports, a U-shaped frameembracing said rigid frame member and pivoted thereto to swinghorizontally, whereby the U-shaped frame will be guided and supported inits movements by the rigid frame member, operative connections betweenthe U-shaped frame and wheel supports to swivel the latter, and ahorizontally swinging draft rod connected with the machine frame andoperatively engaged with the U-shaped frame to swing the same.

In testimony whereof, I have affixed my signature.

' CONRAD ESPING Copies of this patent may be obtained for five centseach, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C.

